Lt. Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman for Civil Defense in the Makkah province, said five firefighting units rushed to the site soon after they received information about the blaze.
“We also sent two rescue units, a truck, ladders, seven Civil Defense water trucks and eight civilian water trucks,” Sarhan said.
The fire had spread to all the five floors of the building, which resulted in its partial collapse. However, there were no deaths or injuries.
“Two fire-fighting units have been stationed in the area to tackle any other possible fires,” the general said, adding the department has launched an investigation into the incident.
The municipal chairman of the historical region of Jeddah, Sami Nawar, said SR58 million has been allocated to develop the historical region. “We have started work on the project. We have almost completed pavement and lighting works in streets and markets in the area,” he pointed out.
Nawar said a number of old buildings in the region collapsed when Jeddah was hit by heavy rains in 2009 and 2011. The owners had abandoned the buildings after locking them, he said, adding that they left garbage on the terraces of these buildings.
